Repro lecture

Question 1

1. A client presents a 4 year old maiden bitch and requests that the veterinarian determines the best day for breeding. The owner wishes that the bitch be bred by AI as the male is very old and has a low sperm count. It is thus very important to collect the semen and perform the AI on the single most fertile day of the bitch’s cycle. On the day of the first visit to the veterinarian the latter records the following observations regarding the bitch’s estrous period: Days since onset of bleeding (owner’s assessment) = 6; tail, vulvar and lordosis reflexes = outspoken; superficial cell index = 99; vaginoscopy: folds are shrinking, rounded, pale and dry. Choose the most appropriate description of the bitch’s current reproductive steroid hormone concentrations.
   a. High estrogen and high progesterone
   b. High estrogen and low progesterone
   c. Low estrogen and low progesterone
   d. Low estrogen and rising progesterone

Answer 1

D. Low estrogen and rising progesterone

Question 2

5. Referring to the bitch described in Question 1, the most useful method for the determination of the day of the ovulatory LH surge is:
   a. daily vaginoscopy.
   b. daily serum progesterone measurements, using a patient-side assay kit.
   c. every-other-day serum progesterone measurements, using a routine diagnostic lab test (chemiluminescence).
   d. daily patient-side LH test kit.

Answer 2

C. every-other-day serum progesterone measurements, using a routine diagnostic lab test (chemiluminescence).

a - daily vaginoscopy = the “old school” way
b - daily serum progesterone measurements, using a patient-side assay kit = maybe? but not the Volkmann way :)
d - daily patient-side LH test kit = not an easy test, therefore, not a patient-side test

Question 3

Referring to the bitch described in Question 1 and assuming that the bitch does fall pregnant to the AI that is performed, please choose the most accurate manner for the calculation of the bitch’s most likely whelping date.

a. 57 days after the end of standing estrus
b. 63 days after the LH surge
c. 65 days after the progesterone concentration first exceeded 2 ng/mL
d. 63 days after the first AI

Answer 3

C. 65 days after the progesterone concentration first exceeded 2 ng/mL

Question 4

Which of the following applies to a spayed 5 year old German shepherd bitch?

a. Elevated estrogen and basal LH
b. Elevated LH and basal progesterone
c. Basal LH, FSH and progesterone
d. Basal estrogen, progesterone and FSH

Answer 4

B. Elevated LH and basal progesterone

Question 5

Which one of the following statements is most correct for bitches near whelping?

a. Progesterone concentrations fall gradually over the last three days of gestation, while temperature falls abruptly two days prior to parturition.
b. Progesterone concentrations and temperature fall simultaneously and rapidly on the last day prior to parturition.
c. Temperature falls 12 hours prior to an abrupt decline in progesterone concentrations that occurs during the last 24 hours prior to parturition.
d. Temperature falls 12 hours following an abrupt fall in progesterone concentrations that occurs during the last 24 hours prior to parturition.

Answer 5

D. Temperature falls 12 hours following an abrupt fall in progesterone concentrations that occurs during the last 24 hours prior to parturition.